Jo Swinson in the Lords? Let’s abolish the lot of them

There are reports that Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrats’ former leader, could be parachuted into the House of Lords. If anything captures the rotten and ridiculous nature of this most anti-democratic of retirement homes, it is this – the potential perpetuation of Jo Swinson’s political career, even after a humiliating defeat.

Swinson lost her East Dunbartonshire seat – and with it, the Lib Dem leadership – in last week’s General Election. After campaigning to revoke Article 50 and overturn Brexit, she proved about as popular as her party. The Lib Dems won just 11 seats out of 650, on 11.6 per cent of the vote. Yet despite being roundly rejected by the electorate, it seems that she could still wield power.

Acting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has already said he wants her ‘back in parliament as soon as possible’. Which will happen if the Lib Dems nominate her to become a Baroness in the Dissolution Honours list.

And if they do, we would have a situation in which we, as voters, have chosen to take power away from Swinson and all that she and her party represents, only for that power to be given back to her by our political class. She would then be able to sit in the Lords, alongside hundreds of other unelected appointees, hereditary peers and even 26 bishops. And there she would be able to check, amend and even block the will of directly elected MPs.

As we argued in spiked’s programme for radical democratic reform, it’s time to abolish the House of Lords. We need to rid ourselves of what Thomas Paine called the ‘remains of aristocratic tyranny’, and what today has become the tyranny of has-been politicians. Read our full programme here.

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Dan L

17th December 2019 at 7:58 pm

Jo Swinson should never be allowed to forget that she attempted to destroy democracy in the UK. First with her plot for a second referendum and then with her revoke policy. She has demonstrated that she has no problem at all completely subverting, undermining and irrevocably harming democracy, and if she should ever run for election again should not be allowed to forget it. She must be hounded out into the wilderness in my opinion and never let anywhere near the levers of power ever again. Also I would like to see the complete demolition of the LIb Dems anyway for what they have done.

Marvin Jones

22nd December 2019 at 3:59 pm

Only in a country so stupidly sentimental like this, can some ignorant anti-democratic betrayer of the majority be granted the chance to bleed this country dry and return to this house of the dead to carry on with her treachery.

Hugo van der Meer

17th December 2019 at 3:48 pm

They are, of course, the same self serving miscreants as those smug unelected career bureaucrats lounging about in Brussels. Not to mention the shmuck barrow boy Sugar nicking tax payers hard earned gelt.

Ken Dodds Dads Dogs Dead.

19th December 2019 at 4:52 pm

Certainly agree with the sentiment. House of Frauds more apt.

Ven Oods

17th December 2019 at 10:22 am

The trouble with packing the Lords with folk rewarded for abject failure should be obvious to all.
Parking Nicky Morgan in there so she can carry on giving us ‘Culcha’ is no better. Those in government should have been elected by the people. Morgan’s elevation is no less shameful than Chakrabarti’s.

jan mozelewski

16th December 2019 at 8:21 pm

I totally agree that the Lords needs abolishing, but the problem has always been that there is no way MP’s will vote to do so because it would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. (A nice bench to snooze on, a well-stocked bar, generous expenses and a la-de-da title instead of getting a proper job if they are deemed unelectable)
The upper chamber should be filled with ordinary people, in the same way that juries are formed. A turn doing one’s duty as a citizen for a period of a few weeks. It would being a proper wide base and a much needed grounding to preceedings. The idea that some old has-beens and bishops cronies and landed gentry should be part of our law-making is ridiculous. And yes, Zenobia, I also extend that to the Queen and her quite dreadful family.

jan mozelewski

16th December 2019 at 8:29 pm

I do wish I could edit….I have broken my glasses and can’t get replacement for a few weeks.So please excuse my increasingly illiterate posts!!

Hugo van der Meer

17th December 2019 at 3:50 pm

Don’t hold back.

Michael Lynch

16th December 2019 at 7:51 pm

No way, no how. At the very least, she is guilty of being a bumbling fool for buying into the Londoncentric myth that every Remainer wanted to stay at any cost. Unfortunately, for her, not everyone that voted that way was craven enough to want to destroy British democracy in order to get their own way. At worst, she is a liar (coming to power on a manifesto that promised to respect the referendum result), an outrageous hypocrite and even a tyrannical despot who thought she could coast to glory by denying the democratic rights of a free people. Someone ought to really sit the sycophantic Ed down and tell him that the age of virtue-signaling dimwittery is well and truly over. Even Nick Clegg, to his credit, refused to enter the Lords because of how it would go down with the public. Swinson needs to go away, cry it out, grow up and become accountable for her tomfoolery. Certainly not rewarded for them, making a further mockery of parliament. The House of Lords is in enough trouble at the moment without having her foisted on them.

Jonathan Andrews

16th December 2019 at 4:55 pm

There’s an arguement, a weak one and not one I agree with, that those who have great achievements or important talents should be rewarded in this way.
I fail to see how even this could apply to Jo.

james bradley

16th December 2019 at 2:50 pm

I’ve failed a lots of things in my life though not quite as spectacularly as Mrs Swinson. I have also been diagnosed with damaged narcissistic personality disorder and recognise most of my DNP symptoms manifest in Swinson.

I’m wondering if this means I could also be a contender for a posh £300 per day seat with expenses at the House of Lords?

david rawson

16th December 2019 at 2:56 pm

No …..

Jane 70

16th December 2019 at 2:58 pm

Your starter for 10; have a go!

Eric Praline

16th December 2019 at 5:58 pm

I imagine you’d feel quite at home.

Hugo van der Meer

17th December 2019 at 3:54 pm

A damaged narcissist is not a pretty sight.

Jane 70

16th December 2019 at 2:37 pm

Couldn’t we just send her to Brussels and confine her to measuring bananas or counting paper clips?

david rawson

16th December 2019 at 2:47 pm

Jane, i live & work in Brussels, please don’t send her here. How about to the Outer Hebrides, her shrill voice could act as a warning siren for off course ships …..

Jane 70

16th December 2019 at 2:57 pm

Point taken ,perhaps St Kilda,where she could study the views? Safely isolated and less opportunity for irritating pronouncements.

Hugo van der Meer

17th December 2019 at 3:59 pm

Do not send that conniving cungina here…she’d find her self sleeping with fish very quickly.

jan mozelewski

16th December 2019 at 8:47 pm

I like the St Kilda idea. She does lots of huffin’ to go with the puffins.

Marvin Jones

16th December 2019 at 2:36 pm

This miserable country, through it’s demographic structure of the last 25 years, has become a haven and a safe house for the scum of the earth from every corner of the planet. As well, we reward and show adulation for the most ignorant imbeciles who fail in high office and in general high positions of business.

Hugo van der Meer

17th December 2019 at 3:56 pm

Ah yes, I must say I am in complete agreement.

ZENOBIA PALMYRA

16th December 2019 at 2:18 pm

Abolish the monarchy, abolish the Lords, abolish the Privy Council, abolish the Lord Chancellorship; cut Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland loose. Create a federal English Republic with a Prime Minister and elected head of state, elected upper and lower chambers, with proper separation of powers and PR voting. Then England might become a democracy for the first time in its history.

Hugo van der Meer

17th December 2019 at 3:51 pm

Sheer Bliss!Frankly!

Tim Wheeler

16th December 2019 at 2:16 pm

I guess in this respect Swinson herself is just like the E.U. that she loves so much. However much ordinary citizen voters reject her in democratic elections – she ends up being imposed on the unwilling citizenry ANYWAY.

Female Penis

16th December 2019 at 2:09 pm

Yuck, Jo Swanson, who when asked ‘what is a woman’, was completely stumped fame, can do one.
Anyone else noticed Stephen Kinnock swarming everywhere, fancies himself for the leadership, no thanks Steve, the Kinnock’s have absolutely milked the EU gravy train, he is NOT the answer to Labour’s problems.
Caroline Flint would have been perfect imo.
There’s room for a new party, where would one go to find out if this is in the pipeline? I’d love to get involved with something new like that.

ZENOBIA PALMYRA

16th December 2019 at 2:20 pm

Who is ‘Jo Swanson’?

Tim Wheeler

16th December 2019 at 2:26 pm

‘Jo Swan Song’?

Marvin Jones

16th December 2019 at 2:32 pm

Get it right! it is Jo SWINEson.

Ed Turnbull

16th December 2019 at 1:27 pm

I have to admit, the appointment of Swinson, the anti-democrat, to a fundamentally undemocratic political body has a certain symmetry. In fact I’d recommend appointing *all* Remoan MPs (both current and former) to the Lords…followed by immediate abolition of said house, with a prohibition on any former Lord / Dame standing for elected office. Anywhere. Ok, that last bit is a tad illiberal, and that doesn’t sit too well with me, but the blighters have earned such fate so I guess I could live with it.

ZENOBIA PALMYRA

16th December 2019 at 2:21 pm

But you still support the unelected billionaire parasite in Buckingham Palace!

You don’t get democracy, do you?

Ven Oods

17th December 2019 at 2:47 pm

Her Maj doesn’t get to make laws. She just signs them off for Parliament.
I could live with having a (pruned-down) Royal Family, so long as we had an elected (and pruned-down) Upper Chamber.

jan mozelewski

16th December 2019 at 8:25 pm

It is rather amusing in a way that Swinson should be considered suitable by her party for the Lords. They clearly feel this is by far the best way of making her unable to do a Vince Cable and come back for another bash at representing them in the Commons. If she wasn’t already mortified enough following her recent debacle, then this is probably the unkindest cut of all.